There are numerous computer related tools which can facilitate the design and testing of automotive vehicles, including generalized software programs such as computer aided engineering (CAE), computer aided design (CAD), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). These tools are typically used to investigate many issues related to vehicle design, including vehicle durability, vehicle performance, and vehicle aerodynamics. Heretofore, limitations on computer speed and algorithm accuracy have inhibited the development of a particle trajectory analysis tool in which several exterior aerodynamic design issues can be studied. For example, while the depression of the windshield washer spray at high vehicle speeds is a well-known problem, currently there are no predictive CAE tools to analyze this extremely complex phenomenon, which involves the breakup of a liquid jet into droplets, the interaction between the droplets and the external three-dimensional flow field, inertia and gravity effects, and surface tension effects. A major obstacle in the past in investigating this, as well as other exterior aerodynamic issues, has been the inability to accurately calculate an external flow field around the vehicle.
However, with the advent of new and improved CFD technology, an accurate external flow field can now be calculated, thus making a particle trajectory analysis tool technically possible. A further need exists, nonetheless, for a method and system which utilizes available computer related technology to provide a user accessible particle trajectory analysis tool to aid in vehicle design. Additionally, a method and system is needed to provide a comparison between results from physical aerodynamic tests and a particle trajectory analysis tool, and to compare alternate vehicle designs.